Watch E.6.1 What is Restorative Yoga?

E.6.1 What is Restorative Yoga?

As humans, we’ve been conditioned to stress
Blood is shunted to the legs and arms so we can fight, flight or freeze
This causes our cortisol levels to rise exponentially
High cortisol levels are linked to fatty tissue
Constant stress means the body is not able to rest or digest (literally!) - you are not able to properly digest your food
Benefits of Restorative Yoga:
(1) Aids weight-loss (has been directly linked to weight-loss in certain studies)
(2) Increases flexibility (allows fascia and tendons to release)
(3) Recharges our batteries (especially as new yoga teachers)
While both Yin and Restorative stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, Yin is focused on stretching the connective tissue. In Restorative, the body is completely supported and relaxed
Encourage your students to practice “Active Relaxation” in Restorative yoga, meaning they relax completely, but continue to breathe deeply and maintain body awareness
If a student falls asleep, that’s also OK (as long as they are not snoring or disrupting the other students)
More and more medical conditions are being linked to both stress and digestive problems; Restorative yoga is the ideal way to allow the body to both “rest and digest”
You can incorporate Restorative yoga into your Hatha or Vinyasa class at the end, before Savasana
Poses like Legs Up the Wall or Reclined Goddess pose are ideal segways into Savasana
Give students the option to stay in these poses, or to come into a traditional Savasana